1. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls is a deeply touching, hugely successful 2006 New York Times best-selling memoir based on Walls’s unconventional childhood and upbringing. Born in Phoenix, she was raised by an alcoholic father and an eccentric and free-spirited mother who were both incapable of providing stability, financially or otherwise, for their children. But the novel is not about Walls’s parents ...

When the school year begins in 2012, Ballet Arizona will be in a new location closer to downtown Phoenix. The former furniture warehouse at Washington between 28th and 29th streets is undergoing a renovation to get ready for students and professional dancers. Soon, they’ll be tripping the light fantastic instead of tripping over sofas and lounge chairs. “Right now, we’re basically in a shopping center with ...

Avvo, Inc.—the Seattle company that helps consumers make better health and legal decisions by offering free Q&A forums, backed by ratings and profiles for 90 percent of the doctors and lawyers in the U.S.—has teamed up with North Valley Magazine to present this list of top lawyers in the Phoenix area. Lawyers are ranked based on their professional backgrounds according to Avvo’s proprietary algorithms. ...

The eighth annual event drew over 400 participants to the Outlets at Anthem to strut their stuff on the stage in front of judges that included Outlets at Anthem marketing manager Allison Friedrichs and four representatives of FORD Robert Black Agency, who awarded the four grand-prize winners one-year contracts. All twenty winners, called ambassadors, have the opportunity to be featured in year-round print a ...

In downtown Phoenix stands the Icehouse, a unique building once used for ice storage and to stash crime-scene evidence. In 1990, Helen Hestenes and then-husband Dave Therrian transformed the building into a multiuse art venue, run not for profit but to nourish a community of creativity and an appreciation for art. For twenty years, the Icehouse has hosted imaginative exhibitions, grandiose installations, pe ...

There is a parable in the Book of Matthew in the New Testament in which Jesus explains to his followers that giving to the “least of My brethren” as an expression of belief and faith has an impact on all people. In this spirit, the Phoenix Dream Center (PDC), Phoenix First Assembly of God’s inner-city outreach center, is helping a varied and extensive group of people in need, from at-risk youth to the homel ...

By Cassaundra Brooks The first African-Americans to serve in Congress took office during the Reconstruction Era that immediately followed the Civil War. Over twenty mixed-race blacks—some former slaves, others not—served until as late as 1901. The Compromise of 1877 began restoring the previously white absolute majority by imposing challenging voter registration rules, including the infamous Jim Crow laws c ...

By Cassaundra Brooks News isn’t always glamorous, but delivering it certainly can be! Just look to 3TV’s Carey Peña, the hardworking Emmy Award-winning investigative journalist and weekend anchor. She has helped to crack some big cases and uncover shocking truths, and has faithfully reported during some of the most momentous local and national events in recent history. And she always manages to look good do ...

Small in stature, big in talent. And, big in heart. The beautiful Danica Patrick might be a fury on the racetrack, but off the track, she lives life at a slower pace. The relaxed, friendly woman who welcomed me into the richly appointed villa at the Hilton Scottsdale Resort & Villas was tremendously personable and anxious to bring awareness to the fourth-leading cause of death in the United States: chro ...

By Dr. Wilson Kwong I have a sore in my mouth. How can I be sure whether it is a canker sore or oral cancer? In addition to checking for cavities and gum disease, dentists look for signs of oral cancers when we do an examination during a checkup. We look at the most common areas where oral cancer is found: under the tongue and on the floor of the mouth, on and around the sides of the tongue, in the back of ...